I Always Tell Them: Hora Trabajada, Hora Pagada

Carwash workers are some of most vulnerable workers here in Los Angeles County. For years, they have been subject to a host of labor abuses. This includes severe cases of wage theft, such as being compensated only by tips and not being paid an hourly wage as the law requires.

Juan Hernandez is just one example. He was a leader at his workplace organizing for a voice on the job. He stood up to the owner of his carwash when one of his coworkers was unfairly fired and as a result, was then fired himself with seven others. By sticking together and speaking up with one voice, these workers were able to get their jobs back.

Because many carwash workers do not speak English as their first language, unscrupulous employers take advantage of the fact that they may not know or understand wage and hour laws, or those designed to keep them safe on the job.

As a leader of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign, I support safer and fairer working conditions for carwash workers in Los Angeles County. I’ve worked for years with day laborers and other low-wage workers here in LA, and I know what it takes to bring about change: the power of organizing to find your voice at work.

CLEAN – the Community Labor Environment Action Network – began in 2008 as a coalition effort of labor unions and nonprofits that help carwash workers improve their workplaces, communities and their lives. Following a number of lawsuits, community boycotts and worker actions across LA County, the United Steelworkers Union signed a collective bargaining agreement at Bonus Carwash in 2011 in Santa Monica that made Bonus the first union carwash in the nation.

Today, more than 200 workers at 35 carwashes in LA County are covered under union contract. These union members make above the minimum wage, can bargain over the use of optional health and safety protections like shade or gear for heat stress, and have access to a grievance and arbitration procedure to resolve any problems with inadequate protection or wage issues.

CLEAN members also organize to build power in other ways beyond collective bargaining. For example, members created a worker center in South Los Angeles in 2015 so they could have a safe space to access needed resources and learn from one another.

Other CLEAN members took it upon themselves to create a vocational training program to teach higher skilled detail work – which helps members move beyond entry level jobs with entry level wages. The training also includes health and safety courses to ensure a safe working environment.

Finally, CLEAN members and other workers have harnessed power by engaging key decision makers in Los Angeles during the discussions around raising the minimum wage. The bill that passed includes provisions to ensure workers are actually paid what they are owed, since far too many have had the experience of being illegally denied even the minimum wage.

This is a great start. Juan and I are excited to participate in today’s Los Angeles Worker Voice Summit to encourage others to #StartTheConvo in their workplaces. We’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, but the reality is that workers at many other carwashes and at workplaces across the nation continue to experience wage theft, injury and intimidation.

We gather today in LA to build on the national movement lifted up by President Obama last October at the White House Summit on Worker Voice and by Secretary Perez across the country these past six months. We will continue to harness this momentum, and encourage other workers and community organizers to join us in the movement for #WorkerVoice.